Hailey's MRI

Hailey was complaining about her knee hurting.

Finally for a few days, she was REALLY complaining and limping.

So, I made an appointment with a specialist.

The problem was, we'd have to see his PA because he was booked out two months.

That was fine with us, since she just needed to be seen.

We met the PA and he did some movement exercises with her to determine where the pain was. He couldn't find any areas of pain. He had her do jumping jacks and things like that, no pain.

So, to be on the safe side, he took some x-rays.

What happened next was definitely not expected.

The specialist walked in. I was surprised to see him since they said he had a 2 month waiting list and this was 2 days after making the appointment.

His words were: "I need to talk to you about your daughter's condition"

Inside, I was freaking out. I did not like where this was going. He explained to me that he suspected she had what's called Osteochondritis Dissecans.

It's a condition where the cartilage becomes unattached from the bone, leaving fluid build up between the two. He showed me the x-ray that concerned him and I couldn't see a darn thing. He said he was puzzled because this condition is extremely rare and never seen in children, girls especially.  He said he needed to do an MRI to be sure but it needed to be done soon. I was freaking out a bit, especially because Nate was at scout camp and I couldn't reach him.

They scheduled her MRI for that afternoon.

Even though she was really nervous and scared about this, she did amazing. I couldn't believe how still she was. They allowed me to put on scrubs and stand next to the machine with her and talk to her during the scan. Well, the next day, the specialist himself called me to tell me the news that she indeed had what he had suspected. He also said it was good that I paid attention to her complaints because it is a very painful condition.  His instructions were that she was to stop all activity besides swimming and riding a bike. No running, jumping, playing, etc. My thoughts at this point were, how in the heck can we do that? This is HAILEY!

They gave us a knee brace for her to wear while she was doing things with friends to remind her to stay off her knee. I wish I could say it worked great, but again, this is Hailey. 

(The out-of-pocket for her MRI cost us almost $500.00)

Scout Camp

Nate left us for 3 days to attend scout camp.  While he was gone, the girls and I came up with a great idea.  Now that we had the space in the basement to use, we decided to turn it into a

'man cave' for Nate.  I pulled an arcade basketball game we've had in the garage forever out and 

began the set-up process. Next was the dart board.

Once I got these things hung up on the wall, I hung up his signed plaques, bats and basketballs.

We cleaned his candy machine, filled it with chocolate covered raisins and peanut M&M's, his favorite.

I also pulled his wood chest out of storage and set it out.

After cleaning everything up, it turned out quite nice.

The girls slept in my room with me the entire time he was gone and they thought it was pretty awesome.  I let them stay up late watching movies in my bed. It was a really fun girls week, but we really did miss daddy a lot.

Nate sent this picture to us as soon as he had reception. It was really good to see him because we missed him so much.

Summer River Adventures

We live a block away from this gorgeous river. This summer, it was extremely low. 

One afternoon, my sister in law Summer and I took the kids down to play in it. We were at the river for almost 3 hours and the kids just explored and played and got wet till their little hearts content.

It was a fun and relaxing summer day with cousins.

Hard Work

It's been almost 2 years since Nate had a pretty extensive shoulder surgery

and he's been working so hard to get back in shape. I'm always amazed at his dedication

and perseverance. It's definitely a gift. I'm so proud of how hard he has worked

to get where he is both physically and mentally.

He is not only content in life, but it's amazing to watch how content he is with work.

He just gets the big picture and realizes that you have to get up every morning and go to work.

It's not fun and it's not always enjoyable, but that's why they call it work.

He doesn't look for the next best thing ALL THE TIME. He's content to just do what he needs to every day and it pays off.

I love this trait about him and I've learned a lot from watching him. He's a great example not only to me, but to our girls as well.

Canadian Visitors

Nate's cousin Travis and his family came to visit.

They stayed at Scott and Valerie's house and we went up to visit and hang out.

Addy, being the motherly type and loving dolls and babies, immediately got attached to Charlotte.

They loved playing together and it was fun to watch.

Charlotte is the best baby. She is so chill and just hangs out with a big smile on her face.

I just wanted to squeeze her the entire time.

Summer Nights

4th of July weekend, we all went to Rachelle and Brett's house for a BBQ.

Their house is super fun because it has a fire pit to roast marshmallows!

While we were all hanging out, we decided to go for a walk by the river that runs along their neighborhood. Rachelle took us to this cool place that had a giant swing hanging from the trees. 

The kids LOVED it.. even Nate. :-)

Hailey and Avery had a blast walking up the river since it was SUPER low. It's the lowest I've ever seen it. They spent their time looking for fish to catch with their bare hands. They found a few, but didn't catch any.

I love summer nights in Utah. They are gorgeous, comfortable and the fresh mountain air just can't be beat.

4th of July

4th of July is such a fun day around here. Every year we wake up to tons of hot air balloons in the sky  outside our bedroom window. There is a ballon festival just down the street from our house and we get to see plenty of them without having to be there.  

Usually, in the early afternoon, we head up to Nate's parents house for some swimming and BBQ.

Everyone brings something and there is usually really yummy food to snack on all afternoon. Uncle Justin was kind enough to throw Hailey and Avery in the pool countless times. They loved trying new tricks in the air.

This year, we decided to try something a little different from the usual 'middle of the street firework lighthing'.  Instead, we went to a highschool where we heard they did a pretty good show every year. We got there early so we could have plenty of room for our huge family and we just hung out and the kids played while we waited for the show to begin.

The show was absolutely amazing. It really was such a great firework show. We were VERY impressed.  Addy, was not, however. She hid in a blanket in the fetal position in Nate's arms the entire time the show was going. The one thing that WAS really great for Addy was that she got her birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. They were on a cruise during her birthday so they brought her back a baby and mama moose stuffed animal that she is SO in love with.